1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal, and more particularly, to a mobile communication terminal with a rotary camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, mobile communication terminals include cellular phones or Personal Communication Systems (PCS) having wireless communication capabilities. As the need for video/image communication emerges along with voice communication, several types of mobile communication terminals with an integrated photographic apparatus have been suggested to satisfy this demand.
Efforts have been made to provide mobile communications devices with cameras which are capable of rotating about an axis in order to better provide the capability of capturing a photographic image while the user is still able to view the display screen of the communications device. The ability to position a rotary camera to capture an image while still being able to view the display screen allows the user to continue communicating, via voice or data transmission, while the photographic image is captured.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a conventional mobile communication device equipped with a rotary camera 1 includes a main body 10 with a main printed circuit board 11 installed therein. A folder 20 is rotatably installed at one end of the main body 10 by a hinge 30. A camera 40 is rotatably installed at a certain angel adjacent to the hinge 30.
The camera 40 includes a collar 42 formed on the outer side of a camera housing 41 and a cap 43 inserted at the inner of the camera housing 41. A camera module 45 having a lens 44 is installed inside the camera housing 41, wherein the lens 44 is exposed at a front surface of the camera housing 41. A connecting bar 45 extends from the cap 43 to allow rotation of the camera 40. An engaging device 46, which is formed at the end of the connecting bar 45, is inserted into a coupling groove 31a of an engaging jaw 31 formed at the hinge 30. Accordingly, the camera module 45 is constructed to be rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 (or counterclockwise around the connection bar 45).
A slot (not shown) is formed at a middle portion of the cap 43, through which a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) 12 is inserted into the housing 41. One end of the FPCB 12 is connected to the camera module 45, and the other end thereof is fixed at the main PCB 11 installed at the main body 10. The FPCB 12 has a structure that may not be expanded and contracted in terms of its characteristics, so if a user rotates the camera 40 excessively or forcibly in controlling a photographing angle of the camera 40, the FPCB may be pulled, stretched or torn, thereby breaking the FPCB 12.
To remedy this, the FPCB 12 is wound on the connecting bar 45 several times. Accordingly, when the camera 40 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise to control the photographing angle of the camera 40, the FPCB 12 wound on the connecting bar 45 of the cap 43 can be wound or unwound, so that the FPCB 12 would not be broken. However, in the conventional mobile communication device 1, an interior of the hinge 30 is so narrow that the FPCB 12 is wound on the connecting bar 45 only a finite number of times. Therefore, rotation of the camera is limited to the number of times the FPCB is wound around the connecting bar 45.
Since the rotational angle and rotational direction of the camera 40 are limited as the FPCB 12 wound on the connecting bar 45 of the cap 43 is unwound or wound, the user cannot rotate the camera 40 in one direction, for example, clockwise, continuously, causing inconvenience in using the camera 40.